Asia Cup 2022: Businessmen to delivery boys - Hong Kong cricketers shine on the big stage

Hong Kong batsman Kinchit Shah usually handles the family diamond business and he sparkled in a losing cause against India, studding an innings of 30 with two fours and a six in the T20 Asia Cup. The Mumbai-born vice-captain, who proposed to his girlfriend after the match in Dubai on Wednesday, is part of an eclectic mix of pizza delivery men and university students representing Hong Kong against Asia's cricket giants in the UAE this week. The talented band of expatriates have been on the road since June, culminating in a berth in the main draw of the six-nation Asia Cup after winning all three qualifying matches. They lost to top-ranked India by 40 runs on Wednesday, but only after a fight in their chase of 193. Their next match against Pakistan on Friday in Sharjah could be their last in the tournament, but skipper Nizakat Khan said they had been flooded with praise from loved ones in their adopted home. "We have lots of support back in Hong Kong. We have lots of messages from family and friends," said Pakistan-born Nizakat. "It's a big learning curve for us to play against India and Pakistan. We take something out of these two games and hopefully the players learn a lot."

Read AlsoAsia Cup 2022: Hong Kong players gift Virat Kohli team jersey with a heartfelt message

The message on the jersey gifted by Hong Kong players read: "Virat, Thank you for inspiring a generation. We stand with you! There are many incredible days ahead. With strength. With love. Team Hong Kong."

The team's media manager Smita Chhetri told AFP that three players, Babar Hayat, Ehsan Khan and Yasim Murtaza, have recently become fathers but have only seen their newborns on video calls. For most players in Hong Kong, cricket is not the only means of